


C is for Cancer

by MarieanMuse (orphan_account)



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alcoholics Anonymous, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky is a war veteran, He lost his arm in Iraq, Humour as a coping mechanism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Protective Bucky Barnes, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony has Cancer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-03 03:24:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14559780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/MarieanMuse
Summary: Bucky Barnes is a US Army veteran. He lost his arm in Iraq. His daily routine consists of self pity, AA meetings and eating powdered donuts at said AA meetings.Tony Stark just graduated MIT. He also has cancer. His daily routine consists of tinkering with robots, ignoring his parent's awful meddling and coming in terms with the fact that he is probably going to die.This is just a story about two idiots falling in love when their worlds are falling apart.





	C is for Cancer

**Author's Note:**

> What am I doing? I have 4 more wips…  
> Don’t worry, I will have a poll out for you(soon) to decide on which wip I should focus on first. This story will also be in the running.

Bucky smells him before he sees him. The smell is unmistakably that of marijuana. Bucky wants to shout at the man for disrespecting other patrons of the establishment who are all in various needs but angry words die on Bucky’s lips when he gets his first good look at the man.

The guy looks worse for wear with clothes barely clinging onto the skeletal frame, dark shadows under his eyes, a beanie that poorly hides his baldness and missing eyebrows that gives him a default eerie expression. The man looks terrible and so close to death’s door.

Bucky checks the label on the room the man just exited from and to no surprise of his, it’s the Cancer Support Group. Bucky would have looked at the man in pity if he hadn’t seen men equally bad or worse for the past 3 months that he himself had been going here.

From his own time at Alcoholic Anonymous, he knows nobody here wants pity. Well, some do but Bucky doesn’t like pity himself so, Bucky settles for glaring.

“Dude, mind not smelling like the inside of a college dorm when you are in the freaking support building.” Bucky tries to keep the slight condescension out of his voice and he thinks he succeeds.

In reply, he gets a twitch of muscle at the stranger’s forehead which Bucky can only assume means that the man is raising his non-existent eyebrows at him, non-verbally challenging him with a, “So, what?”

There is no further interaction as the stranger turns around and walks out of the glass double door, leaving behind the faint smell of weed. Bucky forgets about the man as he attends his own AA meeting and tries to convince others but mostly himself that he is getting better.

* * *

The AA meeting organizers always book the South Hall on the first Thursday of every month. Bucky likes it better than the stuffy room on the first floor which feels more like a glorified janitor’s closet than anything else. Thursdays are good, or at least much more tolerable thanks to breathable, non-putrid air.

There is a big window on the left that overlooks the grounds and part of the main street. Bucky mostly distracts himself from much of the sob stories by counting cars.

Bucky isn’t obvious about this nor is he trying to be an insensitive jerk but he is honestly tired of another middle aged man crying about his wife filing for divorce and taking full custody of their children because of the person’s drinking problem. Bucky can tell just from looking that that’s not the full story. Bucky can tell it wasn’t just the drinking, it was most likely the gambling and the physical abuse that the wife had to endure before she had enough.

Of course, Bucky doesn’t say this out loud. The man has started ugly crying now and the counsellor is holding him, assuring words of encouragement and Bucky knows the next five minutes will be spent on giving placating hugs all around.

Towards the end of the session, Bucky hugs his assigned partner – a man he has come to known as Sam- and Sam hugs him back with a sarcastic quip. The session is almost in its last minutes and Bucky eyes the stacks of donuts and pot of coffee by the entrance that the organisers have set up. When the counsellor gives his final words of encouragement for the week, Bucky almost runs towards the donuts, much to the exasperated sigh of the counsellor.

Bucky knows that the counsellors know that Bucky wouldn’t be here if Bucky had any choice in the matter. He doesn’t so, here he is stuffing powdered donuts in his face and counting down to the very second when he can just walk out without seeming too eager. Not that it matters since he does it biweekly anyways.

* * *

When Bucky walks out of the building, he walks straight towards the gates and towards the main street. He no longer tries to head to the parking lot or check his pockets for his car keys. He hasn’t driven a car ever since he came back from Iraq.

The bus stop is just around the corner from the building and he always catches the Route 6 that should be coming in 10 minutes as he checks his cellphone. When he does turn the corner, he doesn’t expect to see the stoner dude from earlier. The man is sitting on the bench, watching the cars pass by with a blank expression.

Bucky doesn’t know what prompts his big mouth to speak up but before he knows it, he is speaking, “Did you miss your bus?”

The man doesn’t reply so Bucky just shuffles awkwardly pretending he didn’t just try to make conversation and got rejected in the process. At least he is glad that there is nobody else but them two at the bus stop to witness the event.

After what feels like an hour of him just awkwardly shuffling behind the bench, Bucky hears a hoarse reply, a sound he did not expect from such a skinny slip of a man.

“No, I did not miss the bus.” The stranger hasn’t turned towards him, and Bucky gives a nod but immediately feels stupid because the man can’t see it. Bucky doesn’t know if he wants to force a small talk so he remains quiet.

“I am waiting for my dad if you must know.” The man speaks up, still not looking at Bucky.

“All this time? Is he running late?” Bucky can’t help but be curious. It’s been over an hour since he saw the man leave the building.

“Howard is never late, one is simply too early. Or that’s what his text says.”

Bucky doesn’t know what part of that sentence to approach so he settles for awkwardly shrugging. “Cool.”

The man lets out a laugh, which ends up sounding a lot painful towards the end and from the way he starts caressing his back, Bucky guesses the stranger is in actual physical pain.

'Oh yeah, Cancer’ Bucky thinks.

After some awkward silence, the man smiles and quietly says, “My name is Tony.”  
"I am James."  
"My best friends name is James too." Tony says and his wisp of a smile transforms into a full-fledged grin. Tony seems to get a little lost in thought as smile dies slowly on his lips.

‘Fucking stoners’, Bucky thinks.

“Well, speak of the devil.” Bucky hears Tony say followed by a humourless chuckle as a sleek, expensive looking car stops in front of them and Bucky lets out an impressed sound. Bucky sees Tony stand up from the bench and approach the car as the windows roll down revealing it's two angry occupants.

“Oh, Mom's here too. It’s the sign of the apocalypse.” Tony sarcastically comments, before opening the door to the backseat and sliding in.

“Who’s your friend, Tony?” The older man in the driver seat is mockingly eyeing Bucky. “So, what type of cancer do you have?”

“Howard!” The angry chastisement comes from the woman in the front passenger seat. Bucky guesses this is clearly less about him and more about deep family issue. Also, it further proves this first assumption about the stoner dude also being a cancer dude. "Ignore him, he is like that. I am Tony's mother. Call me Maria."

“I don’t have cancer.” Bucky tries to reply only to get three unimpressed glances his way. No, Tony isn’t even looking at him; he is looking past Bucky in a bored manner.

“Dad, look can you just drop me at my apartment already since you are so keen on playing chaperone.” Tony rubs his face, pulling his beanie off. He turns to the brunette in front. “And mom, why are you even here? Its dad's turn to pick me up this week.”

Bucky isn’t meant for family dramas. He has enough in his own life. And contrary to what people say about enjoying someone else’s family drama, nope, it is just awkward. Really really awkward.

“And your dad seems to be doing a great job at it.” Tony's mom sneers towards her husband. “I called Happy and he said you hadn’t come home from your group session yet and by my calculation, you should have arrived at your apartment-”

Maria doesn’t get to finish before Tony angrily throws his beanie at inside the car. “I have told you to stop using Happy to check on me!”  
Bucky winces under that thundering voice. Tony's dad, however, seems unfazed.

“You are my son, Tony. I worry about you. Unlike your dad, who can’t even remember when he has to pick you-”

"Oh shut up, Maria. Because you are clearly mother of the year." Howard grunts, rubbing his face in frustration.

“I at least _try_! At least, I do not have my son go to his chemo alone because I have to kiss some board member's ass.” Maria seems calmed but his eyes were raging.

“At least _I_ showed up to the doctor’s to discuss his radiotherapy progress.” Howard challenges.

“What? To make up for the dozen ones you missed due to your important business meetings.” Maria bites back.

“I pay for his shrink.”

“And I bet the psychiatrist hears all about how much of a shit father you are.”

Bucky watches the back and forth like a tennis match. And, suddenly, he finds the father glaring at him,

“Are you getting in or what?”

“What?” Bucky isn’t always this dumbfounded, today is just special.

“Get in and tell me where I should drop you.” Howard taps the steering wheel impatiently.

Bucky expects Tony to say something like they aren’t friends and Bucky is just some creep getting his jollies off watching their family drama but he notices Tony simply shrug and scoot to the other side to let Bucky in. Bucky’s traitorous body seems to comply as if on auto-pilot and gets inside 3 complete strangers-one of which is named after Satan himself.

“So how do you know Tony, umm…..?” Maria asks, belatedly remembering Bucky hasn’t introduced himself.

“James. James Barnes.” Bucky fills in the intended blank.

“Yes, James, how do you know my son?” To an ordinary person it may sound like an innocent enough question but Bucky can tell it’s anything but. Wow, overprotective parent much.

“Does it really matter, mom? He is not a serial killer.” Tony deadpans, only to turn towards Bucky with a wisp of a smirk. “You are not a serial killer, right?”

“Uh, no.” Bucky stutters and Tony goes back to staring outside the window.

“Where am I dropping you, James?” Howard asks and Bucky gives his address albeit a bit nervously.

“It’s on the way to Tony so that’s good. Wasn’t sure if I wanted to drive to the opposite part of town today.” Howard comments and then follows silence that Bucky can’t decipher as awkward or not.

Nobody speaks and the silence continues.

Howard becomes the first one to break it

“So, James what kind of rare disease do you have if it’s not cancer.” Howard is peering at Bucky calculatedly as if there are obvious signs to diagnose from. He seems to give up finally as he turns forward, but still maintaining eye-contact through the rear view mirror. “Tony here has Neurofibrosacoma Schwannoma. Yeah, trying saying that 5 times quickly.”

“Howard, do you have any shred of human etiquette?” Maria is glaring at her husband and Bucky doesn’t know how this family functions. He looks at Tony in desperation.

Tony just looks bored, probably used to it. He even has the nerve to give Bucky a shit-eating grin, almost saying ‘enjoy the show.’

“Oh I am sorry. Should I lift my pinkie up when my drink my tea like you do, Maria?” Howard drawls but before Maria can put any word in edgewise, Bucky just shouts out that he is a recovering alcoholic.

“The AA meetings are held in the same building as the cancer support group meetings. Actually, a bunch of other support groups hold their sessions there since you know the building is part of the City hospital so lot of patients get referred to counselors here. I mean, yeah.” Bucky is rambling and he knows it so he just stops abruptly.

Howard and Maria look less than impressed but Tony is grinning a little too widely at him, probably enjoying his embarrassment, the sick sadistic bastard. Tony has curled up into a little ball and has a blanket pulled over himself. He looks like a little kitten. A little bald kitten. Not like those wrinkly bald ones though, Bucky can’t help mentally add.

 “Maybe we should send you there, Howard.” Maria says offhandedly. Bucky snorts back a laughter, which he immediately regrets when Howard glares at him. Oh Howard doesn’t seem to like him at all.

“Don’t start, Maria. Not in front of others.” Howard shakes his head in annoyance.

Tony isn’t looking at any of them. His eyes are closed.

Bucky doesn’t know why but he chimes in, “They have really bad coffee there.”

Before anyone can say anything else, Tony starts cackling, the loud bellow vibrating throughout the car. It wasn’t that funny, Bucky wants to say as Tony wipes the tears off the corner of his eyes

Maria and Howard ignore them. Howard goes back to focusing on driving but occasionally Bucky sees him adjusting the rear-view mirror to check on Tony.

Silence follows until Maria starts correcting Howard’s driving and Howard engages her in a verbal battle. Tony, who is now more a ball than human, unfurls and maneuvers himself so his head lies on Bucky’s lap. Bucky stiffens under the contact but the two front occupants barely pay attention to their son’s position.

Bucky isn’t sure if he is just some glorified pillow for Tony since Bucky can tell that the other man has fallen asleep from the even rise and fall of their chest. A grown ass man has fallen asleep on Bucky. Bucky should feel uncomfortable but he doesn’t.

Strangely, it makes him nostalgic. He gets a sudden glimpse of the old days, when Steve was just a tiny thing with a gummy smile from where his front two milk teeth had fallen out; Steve would curl into a ball, head on Bucky’s lap and they would both fall asleep on the old ratty couch.

The man with his head on Bucky’s lap is not Steve. Yet, Bucky counts the rise and fall of Tony’s chest under the thick woolen jumper and lets it lull himself into a sense of calm that he hasn’t felt in a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> powered donuts, anyone?


End file.
